For the Better
by Secret-Ninja1
Summary: What if Yuu decided to take up Kureto's offer? Male!Shinoa/Female!Yuu. A request from Shiranai Atsune.


The library belonging to the JIDA smelled like dust and some sort of sweet smell, despite students and soldiers regularly moving in and out of the room on a daily. Yuu wasn't one of those to begin with, she was new to the library just days prior to her current arrival, looking at the provided labels on the shelves to search for her information.

She had snuck out of bed again to further her intellect and studies towards spellcraft and vampires, hoping for an answer to her questions. Books were stacked on the desk provided at her chosen seat, the soldier flipping through pages upon pages of magic and the supernatural until the text began to strain her eyes.

Leaning back and balancing the volume in one hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose with the other and sighed. Her search was going nowhere and what books she read were only giving her what she already knew the basics of from experience. She was ready to take a break and rest her eyes for a moment-

"Look who's out of bed. Again."

Yuu snapped her eyes open and jerked up, nearly colliding her face into the person's chin. The familiar sight of short purple hair set her mind at ease as she settled back into her chair comfortably. "It's just you, Shinoa."

"It's just me?" He raised a brow and replied in a mocking tone. "It's just your squad captain and best boyfriend ever, thanks for the respect."

Yuu decided to ignore the smirk as he went on talking. "Though, I suppose I can ignore your disobedience of a direct order. Bed rest is essential to a full recovery, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Could you pick up my book, please?" Yuu pointed to the open book on the floor that she realized she'd dropped during her surprise and couldn't reach it from her chair.

Shinoa obeyed without question, but instead of dropping it in Yuu's waiting hand, he took it and skimmed through the book with a teasing grin. "My, Yuu, I never thought you to be _that_ type of girl. What are you hiding in here, huh?" He ignored Yuu's groan and swatting arm, his fingers stopped at a random chapter and he sucked in his breath, his joke dying with his surprise. Without another word he tossed it back to Yuu and turned on his heel to leave.

 _She's worried about him._ The thought caught in his mind, the soldier biting his lip and stopping just before leaving the library. He realized a little too late that his humor probably wasn't appreciated at the moment, though he spared a glance in her direction out of habit. He spoke before he stopped himself. "Mika... You want to turn him back, right?"

* * *

" _Special Private Yuichiro Hyakuya. Report to the first office."_

Yuu's first thought was Guren, the girl running a hand through her hair as Shinoa straightened up from leaning into her space. Despite the discussion they were having, Yuu was far more worried about the announcement than Mika's condition at the moment. She was relieved that he was safe and alive, and that was what mattered the most to her.

Still. "First office?" That didn't seem like a normal summons to him, especially from Guren of all people.

Shinoa brushed off his uniform shirt of imaginary dust, casting his eyes over to the intercom. "No, most likely from the Hiragi family, head of the JIDA." He reached a hand over and helped her out of her chair, gathering the books into a single stack and preparing to put them back in their original place. "You'd better head out now so you won't be late."

"Right, thanks for the help." She meant it as she took his offer and stood on her feet, adjusting the open flap of her uniform and hooking it back onto the button. She had heard some baseless rumors about the Hiragi name, mostly negative ones, but she had never meant any of them in person before. She stopped before the entrance, her eyes widening in realization. "Shinoa, isn't _your_ last name Hiragi?"

Shinoa turned and placed a hand on his chest, running his other hand through his hair to slick it back over his head as a means to show off his looks. "Seems like you've finally caught on, look at you! Yes, I am the infamous Shinoa Hiragi, at your service." He bowed and extended his arm out. "Feel free to ask for my autograph, I certainly don't mind."

His mocking smile hadn't lasted when he stood up again, his face completely wiped of emotion. Yuu had discovered that she hated that look the most, realizing that only meant Shinoa was hiding something. "Promise me you'll be careful, Yuu. Most of the Hiragi are scary people, you shouldn't get caught up with them at all, understand?"

His warning was certainly considered and thought over, Yuu nodding at the request. "I promise I'll be careful." She only hoped that whatever it was, it wasn't serious enough for her to put that promise into action. With that in mind, she continued out and made her way to the first office as directed.

* * *

 _So that's what this is about._

Yuu walked past Guren and towards the building, scoffing at the sound of her Colonel's footsteps following behind her.

"Think about this, Yuu." His commanding tone was grating on her nerves and she just about snapped at him.

"I _am_ thinking about this and you have nothing to worry about. Whatever vendetta you have against the Hiragi family is none of my concern, nor should it be yours pertaining to _my_ business with them."

"Shut up, kid." Guren was only a few paces behind, his voice still borderline patronizing. "It's my business when it poses a threat to-"

"You don't have to worry about it." She stopped, her feet crunching the gravel beneath her and green eyes met purple. "I won't just abandon my friends."

The tense air between them seemed to have thinned until Guren's haughty smile broke it entirely. "Well, I can see where you're coming from, but I never said I was your friend."

A skeptical brow was raised. "What are you, then?"

Guren shifted his weight to his other leg, uncrossing his arms. "Your superior."

 _Ugh._

"Life saver."

 _Right._

"Guardian."

 _Since when?_

"Basically, your god."

" _Please_." She rolled her eyes and waved him off, entering into the building and into the lobby towards the elevator.

"A god, who does he think he's fooling? What an idiot." Guren got on her nerves most of the time, constantly avoiding her and never having time for conversation. A god would at least listen to her prayers before he'd run off and ignore other responsibilities.

Yuu was awaiting the arrival of the elevator car, tapping her boot against the tile until a ding was heard and a familiar head of blonde hair came into view. "Ah, Mitsuba, were you paged, too?"

She never got an answer as she continued walking, her head casted downwards. "How'd it go?"

Her smaller body seemed to freeze at the question this time, her coat slung over her arm and a smile was playing at the corner of her mouth when she turned around. "It was just an interview. They've been gracious enough to give me a promotion due to my recent success on the battlefield."

Yuu whistled. "Wow, moving up in rank, huh?"

Her free hand placed itself against her chest. "Well, of course. I _am_ worthy of one."

The other girl shrugged, agreeing but not quite interested as she was with her own business. "If you say so." She was happy for her and she really did deserve it, but Shinoa's warning was still playing the back of her mind. She took a step forward, nearly the elevator-

"Hey! At least say something back!"

Yuu's eyes widened momentarily, the girl taking her request and ignoring the elevator to hear her teammate out.

"You know it, too!" Mitsuba's eyes began to water, a sure sign that the girl was really to break down any moment, the facade of a smile completely gone. "I was completely useless against the vampires!"

That wasn't true at all to Yuu. She had held her own quite well, better even, compared to Yuu most of the time. Not only that, she had more experience and was constantly looking after Yuu and her reckless behavior that got them in more trouble than out.

"I'm... I'm weak..." She ducked her head and her shoulders began to shake, her lips caught between her teeth as she tried to calm herself. "And still, I'm probably the only one to get promoted. Just because I'm from the prestigious Sangu family..."

Mitsuba looked up finally, looking Yuu in the eyes as she rose her voice to be heard. "If you're going to laugh at the dirty politics..." She brought her arm up to cover her face and mask her sobs, "...then go ahead. I've hated it-"

A warm glove grasped her forearm and gently pulled it down, forcing her into looking at her friend. "Mitsuba. I'm not laughing." Her calm voice seemed so much louder than the other girl's sniffles and it sounded rather comforting despite the location.

Her stoic expression was replaced with nonchalance, her hand letting go and Yuu shrugged. "Anyway, I had no clue. I mean, I just found out Shinoa was a part of the Hiragi family. What are the odds, having two royals on our team, right?"

Mitsuba allowed a smile to surface. "... Are you stupid?"

"Shut up." Yuu's gentle nature remained despite the rude comment. "Anyway, a promotion's good. Go even higher and help me out a bit."

"You... about you're family, right?"

"Yeah..."

Mitsuba's stance stiffened. "You'll be asked about that in your interview. They told me to keep and eye on you, on the chance that you might be a spy." She recalled her sister's emotionless stare, as if they were complete strangers meeting for the first time. She hated it.

"And what do _you_ think of me?"

"I told them 'she's too stupid to fool anyone.' What else was I supposed to answer?" She said it with a smile and a laugh, her good mood increasing with Yuu's company.

Yuu laughed along with her. "That's good." Her eyes softened and she patted Mitsuba on the shoulder. "Thanks for believing in me."

Yuu turned away and entered the elevator car, pressing the button to ascend to the first office.

"Yuu."

"Hm?"

"The Hiragi family are terrifying. Be careful."

"Yeah, thanks." She was indeed dating one, she had already gotten a taste of a Hiragi's anger once before. As it turns out, the blunt end of a scythe can be just as painful as the sharp end.

* * *

Yuu had returned to a proper standing position, the tension leaving her body the moment the fight was over. "What is going on?"

"It was a loyalty test to see if you're a traitor."

The sudden flash of light had momentarily blinded her in surprise, the brightness returning to the room once more. Ahead of her were three people, two male and one female. The one in the middle had spoken, his deep voice nearly scaring her as much as his eyebrows did.

"Shall we start the interview then?"

Yuu was taken aback by his casualness, observing the way he presented himself through body language alone. "Who the hell are you?"

"Kureto Hiragi. Lieutenant General of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army."

She studied his features a bit longer, judging his face and guessing his age. Too young to be Shinoa's father, maybe he was his brother?

"Yuichiro Hyakuya." The sound of her name brought her back. "First, let me test your swordsmanship."

* * *

Yuu's body was still buzzing from the electricity as she was all but shoved into the bleak room by the blonde woman. She regained her balance and turned, the three of the blocking the entrance. She glanced around the room for any sign of escape, or anything that looked familiar, her eyes catching a glimpse of pink and brown from the other side of the glass wall.

Two of her friends were gagged and restrained in chairs, their faces swollen and beaten. She gasped and ran up to the divider, slamming her fist once into the glass to gain their attention.

"Kimizuki!" He didn't hear her.

"Yoichi!" The other boy never responded either.

A wave of anger was bubbling in her throat, her green eyes narrowing dangerously towards Kureto. "What the hell did you do to them?!"

The man in question raised his head a little higher, looking down at her. "I worked them over because you're a spy."

She nearly bit her tongue. "The hell I am!" She didn't know what to do in this situation, she was unprepared. All she could manage were a few nasty insults at best because she knew she was outmatched.

Kureto seemed unfazed by her venom and turned to the woman beside him, retrieving a folder. "We're going to start the interview and you will only speak the truth. Resist, and your friends die."

Her lip began to quiver from her nerves, the anger morphing into fear at that moment and she swallowed. She recalled having that feeling before, years ago. That feeling of helplessness that itched at her fingertips when she was too weak to do anything. A memory of Mika came to her and she clenched her hand into a fist.

"There's very little information in your files. A star pupil that got the Black Demon in such a short period. Well, those two as well." He nodded his head towards her friends on the other side of the glass. "Normally, there would be background checks run on those who qualify and go through the Cursed Gear Ceremony. But not your three. Why is that?"

Yuu didn't have time to answer before he continued. "Where did you come from? What is your mission?"

this was ridiculous, she didn't know anything of what he was saying. "M-Mission? I don't..."

Her lack of information wasn't enough to convince him as he leaned over the microphone by his side and pressed the button. "Do it."

Yuu didn't need to guess what he was commanding as her eyes followed his and she watched as the soldier behind Kimizuki raised his knife, stabbing him and her friend's scream was muffled by the cloth in his mouth. She could see the blood dripping on the floor where the blade dug into his arm.

She took a step back, unable to get any closer to the wall and watch as he suffered. "S-Stop it..."

"Answer truthfully."

It was so frustrating. It was frustrating and terrifying and _cruel_. Kimizuki hadn't done anything and he wasn't a part of this, neither of them were. It was just supposed to be her. Why were they dragging them into this? "I am! I don't know the-"

Her plead wasn't even finished when the next command was given, Yoichi being stabbed between his shoulder blades. He whimpered and she could see his tears falling and staining his pants as he struggled to pull away from the knife in his body.

"Please stop! I'll answer anything I can!" What else could she do? She didn't know what they were telling her, she didn't know anything! She wasn't a spy, they weren't, their torture wasn't necessary!

"Of course you will." Kureto's face was indifferent to their suffering and Yuu's words weren't getting to him, it seemed. He then went on to read about her history and how she managed to escape the clutches of the vampire noble, leaving behind her family to die. How she wanted to kill those vampires more than anything. "Is this correct?"

She found her voice again, her expression relaxing enough to keep her from lashing out at him. She wanted to remain calm if she wanted Kimizuki and Yoichi to make it out alive. "Yeah, so there's no way I'm spying for-"

"Just answer your questions." She flinched and kept herself together. "After that, Guren Ichinose took you in. Why? Why did Guren save you?"

Why? She couldn't know. All she remembered was that he was there, seemingly waiting for her arrival and offering protection from the virus and a way to cure her helplessness. "T-That's..."

"Why is your last name Hyakuya? Are you a survivor of the Hyakuya Sect?"

She recoiled in bewilderment. "No, that's just from the orphanage I belonged in."

"The Hyakuya Sect was the largest spellcraft organization in Japan. They gathered orphans, bringing them into their orphanage for human experiment." His eyes never changed from the same cold stare. "You're probably a lab rat for the spellcraft experimentation."

Kureto snapped the file closed. "It's making sense now. Guren was trying to use something inside of you." A gloved hand was extended out to her, Yuu looking down. "Work for me, Yuichiro Hyakuya."

Yuu couldn't listen to what he was saying, thoughts of Guren rescuing her, comforting her after nightmares, taking her in. All to use her? Her friends were being tortured because Guren wanted _to use her like a weapon?_ It was sick. _Guren was sick._ She thought herself foolish to believe words from a man who wouldn't even call himself a friend.

"I will guide you."

She stared at him, green meeting red as she thought about Mika, then Guren, and then herself. If she was going to be played like a pawn... "If I agree, will you let Yoichi and Kimizuki go?"

She didn't even have a chance to hold her breath before he answered. "Of course. No reason to keep them here." She should have doubted his words, at least a little, even when the woman beside him gave the soldiers the affirmative to release them from their imprisonment.

They fell like rag dolls, Kimizuki at least attempting to catch himself until he hunched and landed on the floor just as hard as Yoichi did. The blood on their bodies smeared against the tile and her resolve wavered at the sight of their pain, suddenly beginning to feel the weight of her decision.

"They had nothing to do with this."

Kureto only brushed her off, taking her by the shoulder and all but pushing her to keep up with his strides out the door. Shinya gave her a cold and disappointed look as she passed, his piercing blue eyes even sharper with covert vexation. It was something different from their sparring encounter, that was certain.

He was left by himself in the room, his face the last thing she saw before they closed the door and guided her through the halls.

"I find myself a bit surprised by your willingness, Hyakuya. I believed you'd put up more of a fight." His gloved hand was gone from her person and she looked up to see that his attention was still focused forward. "If it wasn't for Guren, maybe for Shinoa."

That name had made something snap in her, Yuu's disbelief momentarily forgotten at the thought of the younger boy. "What is your relation to him?" _What are you going to do to him,_ was what she had wanted to blurt, but she'd hoped the answer to that question would come sooner rather than later.

"We're siblings," he answered curtly, opening another door and letting Aoi pass before they had come to a stop, "he's my youngest brother."

Yuu would have commented if she wasn't already staring out at the floor below them, yet another large wall of glass keeping her from breaching the other side of the room as her eyes fell upon a head of brown hair. The owner of it was slouched in a large chair of sorts, wires and machinery sticking every which way with confusing advancements she didn't know what to think of. She was too far away to make out a face, but the hair was something familiar in her memories.

"What's going on?" She had never seen anything like this before, not at the academy, not in the military, but at least she knew something was off. Whatever she was seeing wasn't something she was prepared for, nor was she ready to assist in it. She agreed to join to spare her friends and to spite Guren for tricking her. She'd fight for Kureto or whoever she was supposed to help but this was beyond...

Kureto extended his arm and motioned out to the expanse of the room below them. "What you're witnessing is mankind's future in the making. The trump card that will change the playing field for humanity and all living things." He had something resembling a smile, but Yuu was too busy wanting to avoid his stare to look too far into it.

"Isn't it your dream to see the end of the vampire race? To watch as the last of those filthy creatures wither and die under your hand give you the satisfaction of accomplishment?"

She thought of Mika again, bloody and injured on the battlefield and she almost shook her head before the image of another vampire filled her thoughts and the fire inside of her rekindled, just enough, to give that spark of indignation Kureto was looking for.

"Then our goals are the same."

Yuu couldn't defend herself in time when a swift hit to the back of her head left her unconscious, her own body crumpling to the floor by the Lieutenant's feet.

"And you are going to help us reach that goal."


End file.
